


Double-Edged Sword

by OreoLuvr13



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Procedures, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Seizures, Sensory Overload, Sick Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Worried Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-07-12 11:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15994682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OreoLuvr13/pseuds/OreoLuvr13
Summary: “What’s going on with the kid?” Tony asks.“I think he has the chicken pox." May answers.Tony has to bite back the laugh that threatens to come out. She called him over this? Kids get chicken pox every day. It’s no big deal.“May, kids get chicken pox all the time. There’s nothing to be worried about.”Peter's enhanced healing is a good thing, but what if it also had some serious, negative side effects.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Spider-Man fic, so please be gentle. I just couldn't help myself.

It’s not even ten in the morning, but Peter is tired, no exhausted. No, more like dead on his feet. And for the life of him he doesn’t know why. He didn’t go out on patrol last night. He was just too tired. So, he decided to take it easy. Take the night off. After grabbing his usual from Delmar’s, he settled in for the night to watch some Netflix and study for his Spanish quiz. 

Correction, he attempted to study for his Spanish quiz. Despite his best intentions, he fell asleep with his Spanish notes on his chest while an episode of The Santa Clarita Diet played on his computer, as his sandwich was left virtually untouched except for a few bites.

“Peter, you okay?” 

“Huh?” Peter asks as he turns to Ned.

“Dude, you’re so out of it. You have your calculus stuff.”

“So?” Peter says as he zips up his hoodie. Did it get really cold in here all of a sudden?

“We have shop next,” Ned replies.

“You’re extra spazzy today,” Michelle adds.

“Am not,” Peter says as he puts his calculus book back into your locker.

“And sweaty,” Ned says looking at Peter with a mixed look of worry and disgust.

Michelle takes a step back. “Are you running a fever?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like I carry a thermometer with me,” Peter says with a little bit more bite than necessary.

Ned’s eyes go large at the uncharacteristic outburst. “You sure you’re feeling okay? Maybe you should-“

“Pop a midol,” Michelle cuts in.

“I was thinking of go to the nurse,” Ned says turning back to Peter.

And what’s even more worrisome than Peter’s sickly appearance and prickly attitude, is that he agrees to Ned’s suggestion.

xxxxx

Peter doesn’t remember much from the ride home from school, just bits and pieces. His head pounding. Scratching and May telling him to stop. But, finally his exhausted body is allowed to collapse onto his bed as May helps him to his room. His body shivers as a particular harsh chill wracks his body. He closes his eyes as May pulls a blanket over him. She tells him to sleep. So he does.

All too soon, he wakes to May shaking his shoulder. “Baby, open your mouth. I need to take your temp.”

The bone -deep exhaustion makes him compliant as he opens his mouth so that May can slip in the thermometer between his chapped lips. She runs her hand through his sweaty, curls as they wait for the thermometer to beep. He’s just about to doze off when he hears a beep and a curse.

“Wha’ is it?” Peter asks with his eyes closed.

“104.3.”

“Not bad,” Peter tries to reassure his aunt as he scratches a particular harsh itch on his forehead.

“Not bad? Peter? This is a rush to the hospital kind of fever,” May replies as she tries to move Peter’s hand away from his face.

“I run hot now,” Peter says as he uses his other hand to itch his ear.

“Peter, I don’t like this. When I picked you up at school two hours ago, you had no spots. Now you’re covered. Chicken pox don’t work this fast.”

Peter opens his eyes to half slits. May is biting her lip, she’s clearly worried.

“What do I do? Should I take you to the hospital?”

“Noooo,” Peter says as he pushes himself into an sitting position. “Call, Mr. Stark.”

“Shhh,” May says soothingly as she tries to get Peter to lay back down. “Easy, Peter.”

“Call Mr. Stark,” Peter says as he lets his hot cheek rest on his cool pillowcase. “Call, ‘im.”

“Okay, baby.” May says as she runs her hand through his hair. “I’ll call Tony.”

xxxxx

Tony’s busy tinkering with some new ideas for updates on both his and Peter’s suits. It’s nothing pressing, but he always tries to keep the suits equipped with the newest technology. He’s Tony f-en Stark and there’s no way in hell he or the kid is going to go up against someone who is has better tech than they do.

“Boss,” Friday calls out. “Incoming phone call.”

“From who?” Tony asks as he carefully welds together a couple of wires.

“May Parker.”

Tony puts down the hand held welder. Back when May first discovered the kid was in fact Spiderman, they had a lengthy conversation. Well, they did after she ripped him a new one for nearly an hour about how irresponsible it was for him to not only condone but enable Peter to run around Queens in a suit that he built, all while keeping her in the dark about what was really going on.

After the ass chewing was over, Tony and May came to a tentative truce. Tony will continue to mentor and train Peter, giving May weekly updates on not only how the training was going but also Peter’s Spiderman activities. Communication between the adults was to be a two way street. Not only would Tony keep May updated about the kid’s training and patrol activities, but May will let Tony know if there’s anything he should know. Big tests coming up. That asshat Flash not letting up on Peter. Anything that could distract and possibly endanger the kid when he was busy being Superman. School still came first. And if Peter’s school performance suffered or Peter’s well being was ever put in danger, then all Spiderman activities would be put on hiatus.

“Boss? Should I patch her through?”

Tony mentally recalls the patrols from the week. Nothing stands out. In fact, Peter didn’t even go out last night. He said that he had a Spanish quiz to study for. He already got a May verbal lashing three nights ago when Peter missed his curfew. He really just wants a nice quiet day.

“Tell her I’m in a meeting.”

“I don’t think your response is going to make her happy.”

“Wha--”

Before he can finish, he hears May’s voice. “Friday, put me through to Tony! Now! I’m not taking no for an answer! Friday!”

Tony sighs. Damn Friday. And shit what did the kid do now?

“What’s up May? It’s a beautiful day out. Don’t you think? A wonderful day to go for a walk in the park?”

“Tony! Don’t try that crap on me. I’m not in the mood.”

Shit. The kid must have done something big. Did he finally punch that kid, Flash in the face?

“What’s going on?”

May sighs. “It’s Peter.”

Tony wants to roll his eyes. Of course it’s Peter. Why else would she be calling. But the worried tone in the woman’s voice stops him from doing so.

“What’s going on with the kid?”

“I think he has the chicken pox.”

Tony has to bite back the laugh that threatens to come out. She called him over this? Kids get chicken pox every day. It’s no big deal.

“May, kids get chicken pox all the time. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“His fever is 104.3. That’s too high.”

To a regular person a temperature that high would be a call to 911 to be rushed to the nearest ER. But, Peter isn’t any normal kid. He’s enhanced. Helen Cho has run some tests on Peter during one of his trips to the compound. They know a little about how Peter’s body works. His freaky, enhanced healing factor, his elevated body temperature, but they don’t know everything. 

“He runs hot, May.” Tony tries to reassure the slightly panicking woman.

“I know that, Tony!” May says. “He’s just so out of it.”

Tony rubs his chin. “Are you sure it’s really chicken pox?”

“I think I know what chicken pox looks like, Tony!” May hisses. “He’s covered with ‘em!”

“Well, when did this all start?”

“Ummm, when I got home last night he was already in bed. That should have been the first sign he wasn’t feeling well.”

“But nothing before that? How was he yesterday?”

“Nothing,” May replies. “Yesterday morning he basically ran out of here. Like I said earlier, he went to bed early last night. And he was a little quiet this morning before he left for school. But that was it. Until I got the phone call from school saying he wasn’t feeling well. That I go down there and pick him up. I can’t remember the last time he was sick, Tony. The spots started showing up before we got home. It’s progressing so fast.”

Shit. There’s a lot that they don’t know about Peter’s body’s healing properties. Yes, he heals really fast. But, could the increased healing ability also have a negative effect. Could it cause sicknesses to progress quicker than normal.

“And I can’t take him to the hospital. Tony, I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, pack a bag for the two of you,”

“Pack a bag? This is no time to go on a trip. Tony, Peter is sick.”

“I know that, May” This time he can’t hold it in as he rolls his eyes. “I’m going to have Happy pick you guys up and bring you to the compound. I have people who can help him. People who know about Peter.”

“They’re okay, Tony?” May asks cautiously.

Tony knows what May is asking without actually asking. Are these people going to sell Peter out to the highest bidder, or to Ross?

“I trust them fully. I don’t let just anyone near my people. Near Peter. Trust me, May.”

“Okay,” May agrees. “I trust you.”

“Good, now I’m going to call Happy. He’s down in the city on some business for me. He’ll be there within the hour so be ready.”

“We’ll be ready,” May promises. “And Tony?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Tony is taken a back when he hears the genuine gratitude in the woman’s voice. “Umm, yeah. I’ll have Happy call you when he has an ETA.”

May says good bye and Tony quickly ends the call and makes another one.

“Boss?” Happy answers after the first ring. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I need you to head over to Queens.”

“Queens?”

“Yeah, Underoos’ hot aunt just called me all frantic.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, he got the chicken pox. May is a little panicky. I guess the kid has ‘em bad and his fever is getting up there. And she can’t take him to the ER. So…”

“So?”

“So, you’re going to go get them and bring them to the compound.

“Me?” 

“Come on, Happy. The kid is sick. How much trouble can he be? Plus, May will be there.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. How bad can it be?”

Famous last words.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter arrives at the compound and it all goes down hill from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your amazing response to my first story in this fandom. You guys rock!

Tony is making himself busy, triple checking to see if the med bay is fully stocked. Who is he fooling. Of course it is. He looks at his watch for the hundredth time since Happy called, saying he got the kid and that they were on their way to the compound. That was more than an hour ago. Where the hell are they? He has already called Helen Cho. She’s on her way there after leaving a lecture she was giving at Yale. Tony is fidgeting with his phone when FRIDAY calls him.

“Yes, FRI?” He answers as he quickly makes his way to the door to meet the kid, Happy, and May.

“Happy has arrived with Peter and May Parker.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “I’m in med bay. Send them here.”

“I can’t.”

Tony quirks an eyebrow. “And why not?”

“Because Happy has requested your assistance at the parking garage.”

Alarmed, Tony asks “What’s going on?”

“Peter’s condition seems to have worsened since they left the Parkers’ apartment. Happy doesn’t think that he and May can safely bring Peter to med bay.”

Now, Tony Stark doesn’t normally run. He’s all suave as he struts to board meetings, fundraisers, and important summits with world leaders. No, he doesn’t run. That’s Iron Man’s thing as he comes to the rescue. But, that’s exactly what Tony does as he rushes to the parking garage. He stops short when he sees a clearly frazzled Happy standing by the car’s opened back door.

“Sorry, boss.” Happy greets nervously.

“You couldn’t get the kid to med bay?” Tony asks as he walks closer to the car.

“Don’t start with me, Tony. You didn’t tell me how out of it he was…”

“M’st Star,” a young voice calls from the car.

Tony looks at Happy when he hears the slurring voice.

“Now you see what I mean?”

Tony ignores Happy’s quip as he leans down to look into the car. He can’t help but curse under his breath when he sees the kid. Well, the state the kid is in. The hair that’s not plastered to the kid’s forehead with sweat, is all over the place. He’s extremely pale, except for the countless bright red pox that’s covering his face. May wasn’t exaggerating when she said the kid was covered with them.

“Hey, Underoos.” Tony greets. Peter flinches. Shit. The kid’s senses must be going crazy. He lowers his voice when he says. “I heard you’re not feeling too hot.”

The kid still flinches even with the much softer tone. He tries to wrench away from Tony’s hand when it touches his overheated, sensitive forehead to try and gauge his temp. 

“But, hot is exactly what you are. Jesus.” Tony looks over to May who is sitting on the other side of Peter. “What was his temp the last time you checked it?”

“104.7” May replies as she bites his tongue nervously.

“Come on, kid.” Tony says as he tries to rouse the kid. “Let’s get you inside.”

“Owww,” Peter whines as he squirms out of Ton’s reach, while scratching a spot behind his ear. “’eave me alone.”

“Come on, spider-baby.” Tony tries again as he places his hand on the kid’s bicep.

The kid lets out a pitiful moan. “Stop, it ‘urts.”

“Come on kid, I’m barely touching you,” Tony says as Peter inches away from him and scooches over closer to May.

“I think it’s his senses. They’re all going haywire,” Happy says from outside the car.

Tony turns around to look at the former bodyguard and replies sarcastically,. “You think?”

Peter lets out another moan at the raised voice.

“Sorry, kid.” Tony apologizes in a whisper. “I know you feel like crap, but I can’t do anything for you out here. Let’s get you inside. Deal?”

Peter opens his fever bright eyes to half slits. “’kay.”

“Good,” Tony says as he carefully extracts Peter from the car. Without saying a word, Happy slips his arm around Peter’s waist, sandwiching the kid between the two older men.

It’s a slow process as they slowly make their way to med bay. Tony has to keep biting his lip at every moan and whimper that slips out of the kid’s mouth. He makes the mistake of looking back at May. After seeing the concerned look on her face, he knows that she’s feeling exactly like he is. Overwhelmed. At a lost of how to help the kid.

It also doesn’t help that what should be a quick five minute trip, ends up taking closer to 25 minutes with the numerous stops they are forced to make. First, with Peter having to stop every few seconds to scratch. Second, they also have to stop whenever the kid nearly slips to the ground, tripping over his own feet. If Tony didn’t know any better, he would think that the kid was drunk.

“The pox are all over his feet,” May says quietly after Tony successfully saves Peter from faceplanting for the fourth time since they started this little trek. “That’s probably why he’s having problems walking.”

That and the raging fever that’s burning through the kid’s body. Jesus. Tony is going to have to take a shower. He’s sweating just from having the kid pressed up against him.

“They’re on his feet, in his mouth. In his ears.” May continues.

“We get the picture,” Tony says as he adjusts his hold on the kid when the kid begins to slip from his grasp again. Despite his soft touch, the kid still winces.

Finally, they reach med bay. Peter lets out a harsh cry as soon as they enter, burrowing his sweaty head into Tony’s much cooler neck.

Shit. The lighting. “FRI, adjust the lighting to Underoos’ sensory settings.”

“Adjusting settings to Peter Parker’s sensory settings,” a quieter FRIDAY announces as the lights dim significantly.

“Here you go,” Tony says as he and Happy lowers the kid onto the bed. Peter sighs as he folds himself into the fetal position. 

“Where are the doctors?” May asks as she looks around the near empty med bay.

“Dr. Cho is on her way in. She should be here any sec,” Tony replies as he picks Peter’s wrist up to place what looks like a large bracelet on it.

“What is that thing?” May asks.

“It measures his vitals. Pulse. Temp,” tony replies as Peter slips his hand out of his grasp to itch his forehead.

Tony catches the wayward appendage. “Come on, Underoos. You keep that up and you’re going to end up scarring that pretty face of yours.”

“Not pretty,” Peter mutters as he itches his neck.

“Easy, Pete.” May says as she runs her hand over his forehead.

Peter visibly relaxes a bit allowing Tony to place the monitoring device on his wrist.

“Run vitals, FRIDAY.” Tony says as he stands back.

“Blood pressure is 115 over 75. Pulse is 72. Temperature is 105.7.”

“105.7?!” Tony turns to May. :”Wasn’t it just 104.7?”

“Stooop,” Peter says as he tries to bury his head into the pillow.

May moves forward and runs her hand over his hot cheek, “You have a headache, Baby?”

Peter nods his head as he brings his hand to scratch a particularly bright red pox above his left eye.

“Easy, kiddo.” May says as she runs her hand through his sweaty curls. 

Tony feels uncomfortable at this display of comfort and love. He steps away from the kid and aunt and joins Happy on the other side of med bay. 

“Thanks, Happy. I appreciate you going down to Queens to get the kid and his aunt.”

“No problem, boss.”

Tony looks back over at May and Pete. At least the kid seems a little but more relaxed now.

“He’s going to be okay,” Happy says. “It’s the chicken pox. Kids get them every day. Give him a day or two and he’ll be back to his annoying self.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Tony says. But even as he says the words, he doesn’t believe them. There’s something nagging in his gut, telling him that things are going to get worse before he gets better.

“Boss?” FRIDAY calls.

“Yes, FRIDAY.”

“Helen Cho has just arrived.”

“Tell her I’m on my way down to meet her,” Tony says as he looks over to Peter one last time before he leaves med bay. He’ll give her the low down far away from Peter’s enhance hearing. That way the kid won’t hear the fear that would no doubt be laced in his voice as he tells the physician about the kid’s rapidly rising fever and deteriorating condition.


	3. Stable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's condition stabilizes...for the time being

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little but of a filler chapter, but I promise more exciting stuff happens in the next couple of chapters.

May and Tony are talking to Dr. Cho near the back of med bay. Away from Peter and Peter’s super hearing. Now that they really have to worry about the kid eavesdropping on their conversation at the moment. The kid is finally sleeping. No doubt from still raging fever and deep exhaustion that makes itself known only when you’re sick.

“So what’s the good word, doc?” Tony asks lightly.

“He’s going to be fine,” Helen says with a smile.

May lets out a loud sigh, “Thank you, thank you!”

Tony isn’t as optimistic as May. He looks to where Peter is sleeping curled up in the fetal position, hair sweat plastered to his forehead. The kid looks like shit. “Really? Because he doesn’t look fine to me.”

“Tony!” May hisses. “Stop!”

“I understand your concern, Tony. But, Peter is stable at the moment,” She holds up her hand when she sees that Tony is about to interrupt her. “Yes, his vitals are elevated. But that’s normal when your body is fighting an illness. His temp is high. But, a fever is a classic symptom of chicken pox. And although, his temperature of 104 would raise major red flags in a normal teenager. We both know his normal body temperature runs higher than normal because he is enhanced. The important thing is his temperature has actually gone down since I first got here.”

Tony still isn't convinced, but he stops his interrogation of the doctor, for now.

“So how did this happen? I mean, last night he was a little tired. But that was it. And now,” May says as she looks over at Peter. “I mean he got so sick, so fast.”

"We know that Peter has an enhanced metabolism and healing factor. So, it’s my professional opinion that just as quick as his body is able to heal and recover from illness, an illness can spread. So even though he’s technically only in the first 24 hours of the virus, his body is responding like I’s the third day of the virus.”

“So his body basically works three times faster than normal?” May asks.

Dr. Cho gives her a small smile “Basically. So the good news is as quick as the onset was, he should get over them just as quick.”

“So what do we do now?” Tony asks.

“Exactly what we are doing. Keep him hydrated and comfortable.”

“That it’s?” Tony asks skeptically.

“That’s it. That’s what you do with chicken pox.”

“So it’s nothing more?” May asks. “Nothing more sinister?”

It looks like Tony wasn’t the only one thinking there is something more going on here than just a simple kid’s disease. He was getting there. But, May beat him to the punch.

“I understand your concerns,” Dr. Cho says. “But, this is exactly what it looks like. Chicken pox. I talked to my contact at the city’s health department. Apparently, there are several cases of chicken pox at Midtown Tech and other nearby schools.”

Tony feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. It’s chicken pox. Not some alien virus engineered for enhanced people. Thank fuck.

“The chicken pox,” Dr. Cho says with a reassuring smile.

XXXXX

Tony hesitates before he enters med bay. It’s not that he’s afraid. He just has to prepare himself. It’s been a little bit more than twenty-four hours since Peter has arrived at he compound with the walking plague. Whereas yesterday Peter spent most of the day sleeping. That’s not the case today. With his fever down, he’s a little bit more alert. And he’s not exactly happy about contracting the chicken pox. His attitude has not been the best. It’s been a little…prickly? No, that’s not the right word. Assholeish? That’s a better way to describe it. Is that even a word?

Well, whatever you want to call it, the kid is miserable. He’s clearly uncomfortable and frustrated with the constant itching. And his frustration has caused him to lash out at not only Dr. Cho and the other medical personnel, but also May. 

Tony does not have the best experience with temperamental, hormonal teenagers so he did what he thought would be best. He avoided med bay all day since he was briefed by Helen about Peter’s condition and surly attitude.

But, he knows he can’t avoid the kid forever. Hell, the kid is in his compound. And after the whole Vulture incident he promised the kid he would be around more. And him hiding away in his lab while the kid scratched himself raw up in med bay does not constitute being around more.

So before he can lose his nerve, he walks into med bay. May is no where to be seen. She probably needed a break from the kid too. There’s a handful of medical personnel milling around the room, but none of them are hovering around the kid who appears to be sleeping.

Tony takes a gamble as he moves closer to the kid. He frowns when he sees that even more pox has appeared since he saw the kid last. Jesus. And what is that pink go that’s all over him.

“So you decided to make an appearance now that’s it safe?”

Tony turns around to look at Helen with a sheepish smile.

“Chicken.”

Tony shakes his finger. “No. You say chicken, I say smart."

She gives him a smirk. “Well, I have had plenty of experienced dealing with troublesome, enhanced patients. He’s nothing I can’t handle.”

"Oh I know, doc Your experience with difficult patients by far surpasses any other medical physician. But, seriously. Besides the kid's crappy attitude, how is he doing?"

Tony turns when he hears Peter let out a small moan from his bed.

“He’s okay, Tony. Still running a low grade fever. But, I think the pox will start to scab over in a day or two. He’s on the mend.”

“And that pink goo?” Tony asks with a grimace.

“Calamine Lotion. You never heard if it?” Dr. Cho asks incredulously.

Tony rolls his eyes. “Of course, I have. Like 25 years ago. With all the advancements this place has, you couldn’t give him something else?”

“Sorry, Tony. But, finding a better replacement for calamine lotion has never been a priority. Anesthesia for enhanced beings, yes. Anti-coagulants, yes. Regenerating stem cells, yes. Anti-itch lotion, no.”

Tony turns when he sees that Peter is tossing and turning. The kid is restless. Probably getting ready to wake up.

Tony claps his hands. “Well, Doc. It looks like you have everything under control here. So, I’m going to get going.”

“Chicken!” Helen calls after him as Tony races towards the door.

“Genius!” Tony retorts as he exits med bay without looking back. “Keep me updated if anything changes.”

Peter moans as he tries to sit up.

“Chicken,” Helen says.

“Was that Mr. Stark?” Peter asks with a sleepy grumble. “Why did he leave?”

“And a genius,” Helen replies as she looks to where Tony has just exited.


	4. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Complications arise as Peter recovers....

It’s late when Tony finally settles down enough to head to bed. It’s been a long couple of days since Peter has come down with the chicken pox. But, it seems that the kid has finally turned the corner. His temperature is back down to a cool 101 degrees (well cool for him anyways). He lost the IV yesterday and his mood has steadily improved over the last day and a half. Once the pox finally started to scab over,  
ridding him of the relentless need to scratch. 

In fact, Peter is doing so well that the plan is for him to head back home tomorrow to finish his recovery in the comfort of his own home. Dr. Cho actually said Peter could leave tonight but it was past seven by the time she gave the go ahead. May thought it would be better to have Peter stay one last night and head back home in the morning after a good night’s sleep.

With the knowledge that the kid is on the road to recovery and is sleeping soundly in med bay, Tony allows himself to fall into the first restful sleep he has had in days.

XXXXX

When Peter wakes up, he’s expecting to feel better. Not necessarily great, but definitely better than this. The itching is basically gone but he’s hurting. Like one giant, full body ache. He was feeling a lot better yesterday and expected to feel even better today. Dr. Cho said he can go home. That he’s over the worst of the chicken pox.

But, why does his head hurt. He takes that back. It’s not just hurting. It’s pounding. He goes to bury his head in his pillow, but hisses when the movement hurts his neck.

He pulls up his blankets clumsily as a cold chill runs through his body. He kicks his blanket off. It’s hot. Too hot. What the hell is going on?

Maybe be should tell Mr. Stark? He opens his eye but his mentor isn’t there. He should probably call him, right? 

But, exhaustion is pulling him into a deep oblivion. He’ll tell Mr. Stark that he’s not feeling good when he wakes up.

XXXXX

It’s early when Tony wakes up the next morning, He promised Pepper that he will actually attend today’s board meeting. But, he wants to say good bye to the kid before he leaves for Stark Industries headquarters. 

Because of the early hour, there’s no one in med bay when he enters. With Peter’s health improving, the medical personnel who has been monitoring Peter’s health around the clock have retired for the night.

“Hey, Pete.” Tony greets quietly as he nears the kid’s bed, “How are you….”

But, anything Tony is about to say stops when he sees the state the kid is in. Whatever progress Peter has made over the last two days is gone. The kid is restless, head moving back and forth on the pillow. Sweat is clearly visible on his forehead. He is nearly as pale as the bleached white sheets he’s laying on.

However, the worst has to be the horrible keening sound Peter is making.

“Kid?” Tony asks cupping the kid’s cheek careful of the newly scabbed over pox. “Look at me, Peter.”

It takes a few seconds, but Peter opens his eyes to half slits. “Mister Stark?”

“That’s me,” Tony replies as Peter leans into chis cooler touch and sighs with relief. 

“FRIDAY, what’s his temp?” Tony asks as he feels the scorching skin.

“Checking temperature,” FRIDAY confirms

Peter kicks his legs out. “Hot. Too hot.”

“Easy, kid.” Tony soothes. “What is it, FRIDAY?”

“103.6.”

Shit. “Why didn’t any of the alarms go off?”

“Due to Peter’s elevated body temperature, you set the alarm to go off once Peter’s temperature reached 104 degrees.”

“Yeah, well I’m overriding that right now. Set the alarm to notify me when his temperature is over 101.”

“Got it, boss. Updating Peter’s Alarm Setting for Body Temp.”

“Somethin’ wrong?” Peter asks drowsily.

“Looks like you’re staying with me for a little longer, Underoos.”

“What?” Peter asks with confused, fever glazed eyes.

“Nothing for you to worry about. Just rest.” Tony says as Peter closes his eyes.

Then as if he just remembered something vital. Peter’s eyes open. “Mr. Stark?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“Got to tell you something,” Peter says as he scrunches bis head up in pain and confusion. “Head. My head.”

“You got a headache, Pete?” Tony asks.

Peter sighs in relief.

“Okay, Petey.” Tony says running his hand over the teenager’s overheated cheek. “I gotcha bud, we’ll get you feeling better in no time.”

Taking comfort in the older man’s words, Peter relaxes back into his pillow. “Thank you, M’str Stark.”

“I got you, kid.” Tony says as he runs a thumb over the kid’s furrowed brow.

“FRIDAY, get me Dr. Cho.”

“Anything else, boss?” FRIDAY asks.

Tony looks at Peter’s restless form. “Call Pepper and tell her that I won’t be making it today’s board meeting. An emergency came up.”

XXXXX

“I don’t get it.” May says to Dr. Cho as the two women and Tony stand in med bay away from Peter’s bed. “You said he was doing better. He was going to home today! What happened?”

“We’re running tests now to see what’s going on,” Helen explains.

Tony shares May’s concerns, but he’s only half listening to the women’s conversation. His attention is elsewhere. Or on someone more precisely.

Several members of the med team have surrounded Peter’s bed as they try and tend to the sick teenager. But, the kid is not making their job easy. He nearly ripped out the newly reinstated IV twice already and he’s currently squirming away from the nurses as they try in vain to place cooling gel packs on the kid’s overheated body.

“You need to try and calm down,” A nurse named Sally says as she tries to pull down the sheet that Peter has just pulled up to his shoulders.

“Come on, Pete.” Nurse Donna says as she places a cooling pack on the kid’s forehead.

Peter attempts to shake the cooling pack off. “Co-cold,” he bites out with a shiver. “Get ‘way.”

“Peter, you have to leave that alone.” Donna says as she places the cooling pack back on Peter’s forehead. She turns to Sally. “What’s his temp?”

“106.7,” Sally replies. 

Peter is not having it. He pushes the cooling pack off again.

“Peter,” The nurse says. “You have to leave that on. You’re running…”

Tony holds up a hand. He can’t stand by any longer. He stands by the kid’s bedside. “Hey, Underoos.”

Peter angrily smacks the cooling pack away, but Tony stops him. “Hey, kid. You have to leave that alone.”

Peter opens his eyes to look at Tony. But, the fever has a firm hold on the kid. He’s not looking at Tony, he’s looking through him. “Mister St-Stark?”

“It’s me, Spider-baby,” Tony says relieved. At least his fever hasn’t gotten to the point that the kid doesn’t know who he is. “You got to do me a favor alright? I know you don’t like to do what I say, but I need you to do this for me. Okay?”

Peter tiredly nods his head. “’kay. What is it?”

“You’re sick. Really sick, bud. These guys are trying to help you,” Tony has to stop to collect himself. Peter is looking at him all glassy-eyed, lips chattering. “Let them do what they have to do to get you better. That means you have to stop fighting them, okay?”

Peter stares at Tony with fever bright eyes but doesn’t say anything. Tony needs Peter to agree to let the doctors and nurses do their job, that way he can get better. And God forgive him for what he’s about to do, for playing Peter’s biggest fear. Making him think that Tony will be disappointed in him if he doesn’t do what Tony says. But, if it gets the job done, so be it. “Don’t disappoint me, Peter. I need you to do this. Let the doctors do what they need to do so you can get well.”

“Okay,” Peter agrees sadly as he shuts his eyes. His body relaxing somewhat as Donna lifts his arm to place a cooling pack in his armpit.

“That’s it, buddy.” Tony says as he runs his hand through Peter’s sweaty curls. “That’s it, Pete.”

Donna and Sally continue placing cooling packs all over Peter’s unresisting body as Tony continues to run his hand through Peter’s hair all the while reassuring the kid that they’ll get him feeling better.

Peter is so at ease that Tony assumes the kid is asleep. He can’t help but jump back when he sees two brown orbs staring back at him.

“Pete?” Tony asks. “How you doing buddy?”

Peter doesn’t say anything and just continues giving Tony a thousand yard stare with eerily vacant eyes.

“Peter? Kid, you with me?” Tony asks as he shakes the kid’s shoulder. 

Peter doesn’t say anything, instead his hands curl into fists and his eyes roll in the back of his heads. Seconds later his whole body starts convulsing in uncoordinated, jerking movements.

“Peter?!”

“Peter?! Can you hear me?”

“Dr. Cho he’s seizing!”

It’s a chaotic scene as May and Helen come rushing back to Peter’s side. Orders for various medications are given. Peter’s twitching body is turned onto its’ side and he’s making these awful gasping noises.

“Tony! Tony, you need to move!” Helen orders.

But, Tony can’t move. He can’t take his eyes off of the kid’s seizing form. There’s blood dripping from the kid’s mouth. He must have bit his tongue.

“Tony! You need to move so we can help him,” Helen says.

Peter’s arm gives a particularly vicious jerk, nearly hitting Tony. Tony ducks out of the flailing limb’s way.

With his daze broken, Tony does the only thing he can think of. He turns and runs out of med bay.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone talks some sense into Tony, and just in the nick of time as things get rough for Peter.

Tony is typing on his Stark pad as the mellowing tunes, well at least to him, of AC/DC blasts through his lab. The loudness of the music almost drowns out the memories of frantic medical orders being shouted out, May’s desperate cries, and Peter’s gasping breaths. Almost.

“Boss, Ms. Potts is entering the lab.” FRIDAY calls out.

Tony looks up from what he’s doing. Shit. He doesn’t want to talk. Not with everything going on. He knows its pretty crappy what he did, running out of med bay like that. With the kid so sick. But, he just couldn’t be here any longer. There’s nothing he can do for Peter now. Hell, the kid had the best medical care that money can buy and look at what happened. What could Tony possibly do for the kid?

And Pepper is going to want to talk about it. And he…just can’t.

“FRIDAY, lock the door and tell her I’m in the middle of something important.”

“Too late for that,” Pepper calls out as she enters the lab.

Crap. “Thanks a lot, FRIDAY.”

“For what, boss? I didn’t get the chance to lock the lab door.”

Tony sighs as he runs a tired hand over his chin. Damn. He’s tired. Both physically and mentally. 

“Remind me to work on your sarcasm settings,” Tony says.

“Reminder noted,” FRIDAY replies.

“Ah hem,” Pepper clears her throat.

Tony turns to the redhead and asks the AI to turn down the music. “Oh, hi .Whatcha doing here? I thought there was a big board meeting today.”

“There was. I called it off after you had FRDAY call me to say you weren’t coming. Then I have Happy calling me. Telling me that you’re nowhere to be found. What the hell is going on?” 

Tony gives her a confused look as he motions with his hand around the lab. “I’m working.”

“Don’t be smart with me,” Pepper says as she moves closer to Tony. “What are you doing here?”

Tony rolls his eyes. “I told you, I’m working.”

Pepper laughs sarcastically. “Right, you’re working. Your kid is upstairs in med bay fighting for his life and you’re down here hiding.”

“I’m not hiding,” Tony replies as if he’s a petulant child.

Pepper quirks her eyebrow.

“And he’s not my kid.” Tony bites out.

“He is,” Pepper says. Tony looks like he’s about to argue but she continues before he can. “He is, Tony. Not by blood. But, he is in all the ways that matter. I saw how proud you were when he got that award from the City Consortium of Future Engineers. All on his own. I know that you’ve been talking to the scholarship committee at MIT because May won’t accept your offer to pay for his tuition. And don’t even get me started at how he looks at you. It’s like you hang the moon.”

“And look where all the fanboying has gotten him!” Tony yells.

“What are you talking about?” Pepper asks exasperated.

“I have the best medical resources that money can buy at my disposal and he still got sick,” Tony says quietly.

“Tony,” Pepper sighs softly as she takes one of his hands into hers. “Peter getting sick is unfortunate, yes. But, there’s nothing you could have done differently. He’s in the best place he can be. Like you said., he has the best medical resources available to him.”

Tony squeezes Pepper’s fingers. “How is he?”

He’s afraid to ask, but he needs to know. He may not admit it openly, but Pepper is right. Peter is his kid.

Pepper sighs again. “He had two more seizures.”

He lets out a curse. “Do they know what’s causing them?” 

“Dr. Cho thinks it’s a secondary infection caused by the chicken pox virus.”

“She thinks? With all the state of the art technology she has, how come she can’t pin down a diagnosis?”

“They’re running tests. But…”

“But what?” Tony asks.

Pepper bites her lip. “They think it’s encephalitis, but they need to do a lumbar puncture to confirm the diagnosis.”

“So do it.”

“Do you know how painful and invasive lumbar punctures are? Not to mention with Peter’s hypersensitivity, it’s going to be agony.”

Tony runs a hand through his hair. “Christ. I didn’t think of that.”

“And with his metabolism, his body burns through anesthesia like it’s nothing. He needs you, Tony.” Pepper finishes quietly.

Tony doesn’t need to look at Pepper’s tearful eyes to know she’s right. He needs to get to med bay. He needs to be with Peter

XXXXX

The next time Tony enters med bay it’s much quieter than when he ran out of there hours before. He’s met with hushed tones and the lights are the dimmest they can be while still allowing the medical personnel enough light to perform their job.

Tony makes his way over to Peter and May, who is sitting in a chair by the kid’s bedside, running her hand softly up and down his arm. As he stands besides May’s chair he notices that Peter is still. That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. His body is recovering from the most recent seizure. Apparently, that’s what prompted Pepper to get him from the lab. 

The kid is also wet? What the hell?

“They just gave him a bath to cool him down,” May explains softly.

Tony didn’t even realize he said anything aloud. He takes a look at the monitor that displays the kid’s temp, a little under 105. Not great, but definitely better than it was.

“It’s good to see you’re back,” Dr. Cho whispers in his ear as she motions for him to move away from the two Parker’s to talk.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I….” Tony stops. What does he say? Sorry, I had to run away so I can lose my shit away from an audience.

Bless her, Helen seems to understand what Tony isn’t saying. “I take it that Pepper talked to you?”

Tony nods. “She did. Told me you guys have to do a lumbar puncture.”

She nods her head sadly. “We do. And we need your help. We think Peter will cooperate better if you’re here.”

Tony nods as he turns to look back at May and Peter. 

“Now we just gave him a heavy dose of anti-convulsants, so hopefully he won’t seize again until after we performed the procedure. But, we have to do it now before his body burns through them.”

“I got it, Doc. I’m ready to go when you are.”

She squeezes his shoulder and they return to Peter’s bedside. “May?”

May turns her head to face them, but her hand remains on Peter’s arm. “Yeah?”

“We’re going to start the lumbar procedure now. Remember, what we talked about earlier? How it’s going to be difficult because of Peter’s hypersensitivity and metabolism. You should probably leave. Maybe get something to eat or drink?” Helen reasons.

May nods before she stands up and looks at Tony. “You okay to do this?”

Call Tony paranoid, but he can hear the ‘because you ran away last time when things got tough’ laced in that question.

Tony shakily nods his head and hopes she believes him when he says, “I can do this.”

May runs her hand through the kid’s damp curls. “I know it’s going to be rough. But, I can do it.”

Tony adamantly shakes his head. “No, May. I’ll do it.”

Let me be the bad guy who holds him down while they stick a big ass needle in his back.

“Okay, okay.” May says as she wipes her eyes. She bends down and kisses Peer lightly on the forehead. “Love you, baby.”

Peter remains oblivious to his aunt’s heartache as she moves away. Just as she’s about to leave, she turns to Tony. “You better take care of him, Stark.”

“I promise, May.” Tony reassures her.

She wipes her eyes again and quickly leaves before she loses her nerve. With May gone, the medical staff quickly and efficiently move into action. Tony helps Donna as she maneuvers Peter into the fetal position. He’s forced to bite his lip when the kid lets out a loud moan when his neck is moved. 

Peter is facing Tony, his arms held tightly in place by the older man. Tony can’t bear to watch as Helen brings the tray of instruments closer to Peter’s bed. He squeezes Peter’s hands tightly when Helen cleans the puncture sight with iodine. Tells Peter that he’s there. He’s forced to fight the bile rising when she holds up the large needle just before she starts the procedure.

As she inserts the needle, Peter’s fear filled eyes pop open. He lets out a gut wrenching moan and tries to fight Tony’s hold. But, he’s no match for Tony. Not when he is in this weakened state that allows Tony to easily manhandle him. “Easy, kiddo.”

Peter cries out again as Helen inserts the needle deeper. He tries to move, but Tony has a firm hold. Man. This isn’t right. The kid can catch buses. Lift buildings. But here he is now, not even able to get out of Tony’s hold. Hell, Tony isn’t even wearing of any of his Iron Man suit. “Easy, Petey. I got you.”

“Hurts,” Peter whimpers as he begins to cry.

If his hands weren’t occupied at the moment, Tony would be wiping the tears from his eyes and Peter’s. “I know, kiddo. But it’s almost over.”

“Hurts,” Peter repeats through his crying. He tries again to move but can’t with Tony holding him in place. He lets out a frustrated moan.

“I know, bud.” Tony says as he leans down and kisses Peter on the forehead. “I’m here, easy.”

The next thirty minutes are the longest in Tony’s life. Peter eventually gives up trying to get away from Tony and settles instead to cry, only stopping when he finally and blessedly falls into an exhausted, pain induced sleep. Tony feels like he can only breathe when Helen holds up a vile cerebrospinal fluid triumphantly. 

Before she turns to leave the room, she whispers to Tony, “You were great, Tony.”

Yeah, he was great. It takes a real man to hold down a kid while they're sick and crying out in pain.

“Yeah, a real Hero.” Tony says as he leans back in the chair that’s been placed by Peter’s bedside. 

“It may not feel like that now. But, you are. Especially to him,” Helen says motioning to the unconscious teenager. “You’ll be here while I go run these tests? Or are you going back down to the lab?”

Tony leans over and adjusts the kid’s blanket, tucking it under his arm. “Yeah, I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.”


	6. Diagnosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A diagnosis is made. Peter is not out of the woods. But, May and Tony are by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay with this chapter. Last week I was on vacation and this week it wa back to the grind!

“It’s encephalitis!” Helen Cho calls out as she walks into med bay.

“And that’s a good thing?” Tony asks from his chair besides Peter’s bedside.

May gives him a glare from her respective chair on the other side of Peter’s bed as she continues to softly run her hand up and down Peter’s arm as the kid sleeps.

For his part, Peter doesn’t respond at all. That’s not really a surprise since he’s been more out than in since the excruciating spinal tap a couple of hours ago. Then again Tony will gladly take the kid’s silence over the earlier sounds of Peter’s heart wrenching moans and crying.

The doctor ignores Tony’s jab. “Now that we know exactly what we’re dealing with, we can treat accordingly." She adjusts Peter’s IV as she injects something into it. Peter lets out a small moan when the IV is snagged during Helen’s administrations.

“Sorry, Peter.” Dr. Cho apologizes softly. “You should be feeling better soon, buddy.”

“How long should it take before he starts to get better?” May asks as she moves from running her hand down Peter’s arm to carding it through the boy’s sweaty locks.

The doctor frowns. “To be honest…”

“She doesn’t know,” Tony finishes. “With the kid’s metabolism, guessing the right dosage is pretty much a crap shoot.”

Helen shoots Tony a hard look.

“So we’re back to square one,” May says dejectedly.

Helen shakes he head. “ No, we’re not. We know what we’re dealing with now. Yes, it may take a bit to get the right dosage. But, I have every reason to believe that Peter will make a full recovery.”

“You do?” May asks taking her eyes off Peter and looks to the doctor.

Helen gives her a small smile. “I do. Peter’s young and is a strong kid with an extraordinary healing factor. Now that he has the right medication in his system, I think he’s going to be just fine.”

Almost as if he’s sensing that he’s the topic of conversation, Peter lets out a moan before he opens his eyes to half slits. 

“Hey, Peter.” Helen greets her patient.

Peter closes his eyes again. “I can take a hint. You’re probably tired of seeing me anyway.” The doctor says with a smile before she leaves May and Tony with Peter.

“Not very nice, Underoos,” Tony chides, jokingly.

“Wha’?” Peter says again as he attempts to open his eyes again. It takes a few seconds, but finally Tony sees two fever bright eyes. He knows that they just started the medication or maybe it’s wishful thinking. But the kid already looks a little bit more alert than he has been.

“Hey, Baby.” May says softly as Peter leans into her soothing touch.

“M’str Stark?” Peter asks sleepily as he turns towards Tony.

“Yeah, bud.”

“You’re here?” 

Tony rolls his eyes. “Of course I’m here. This is my med bay you’re in.”

“It is?” Peter asks as he looks around the sterile setting. 

Maybe Tony spoke too soon. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Peter wasn’t any more alert than he has been. As Peter was in and out of unconsciousness over the last couple of hours, Tony’s been reading up on encephalitis. Memory loss is a complication. Maybe Peter is already displaying permanent effects of the illness.

But, then Peter’s wide eyes take on the familiar look of recognition. “I’ve been sick. Happy picked me up.”

“That’s right,” May confirms. “But, now you’re getting better.”

“I am?” Peter asks as he scrunches his eyes up in pain. “Head hurts.”

“Oh, honey.” May says as she kisses him on the forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“What can we do?” Tony asks sadly. He knows that there’s not much more that they can do to help ease the kid’s pain. The kid is already on enough morphine to put down a horse. And based on the way the kid is trying to burrow into his pillow, it doesn’t look like the drug has made even a dent.

“Talk to me,” Peter says opening his eyes slowly to look at his mentor.

Distraction. Tony can do that. If the kid wants him to ramble on all night about anything and everything, he’ll gladly do it if it gets the kid’s mind off of what’s going on.

“I’ve made some updates to your suit. I put in a new thermoregulation protocol. It will alert me to not only see when you’re temp gets too low, but also too high,” Tony explains.

“You did?" Peter asks.

That’s right he has. There’s no way in hell Peter is going to develop another brain frying fever without his knowledge. He’s pretty damn sure that the image of Peter’s seizing body will haunt him when he finally allows his body to sleep. Hell, that image will probably haunt him for the foreseeable future. 

“You bet I have. It was nothing,” Tony dismisses with his hand. “I’m also working on updating the lining of your suit. That way you can stay cool and not overheat. I can only imagine the chafing that thing causes. That will be a real bitch come July and August.”

“Tony!” May exclaims.

“What? You’ve seen the suit!”

Peter opens his mouth like he’s about to say something but doesn’t. His lips start smacking together as he continues looking at Tony. ”Underoos?”

It’s a little unnerving as Peter’s lips continue smacking together with no words coming out. Tony snaps a finger in front of the kid’s face. Nothing. “Pete, you with me kid?”

“Peter?” May asks as she leans over the bed rail.

Nurse Sally looks up from changing Peter’s saline bag, “Peter? You with us?”

Still Peter doesn’t reply as he continues smacking his lips and looking at Tony, unblinking.

“What’s going on?” An alarmed Helen asks as she returns to her patient’s bedside.

“He was just talking to us and now he’s not. He’s just staring off into space,” Tony explains.

Helen looks Peter over. “It looks like he’s having a complex-partial seizure.”

“Another seizure?” May asks sadly. Helen nods. “Also known as an absence seizure. It effects part of the brain. While in a grand mal seizure, the type that Peter had before, the whole brain is affected.”

:What do we do?” May asks.

“Nothing,” Helen answers as she wipes away the dribble of drool that has dripped from the corner of Peter’s mouth. “It’ll be over soon.”

Just seconds later, Peter blinks his eyes. He looks to May and then back at Tony. “Mister Stark?”

“Yeah, bud.” Tony answers the same question that he just answered not even ten minutes ago.

“You’re here?” Peter asks closing his eyes again. 

“’Course, I’m here.” Tony says reassuringly as he drowns out his inner voice telling him how unfair this whole situation is.

“I’m tired,” Peter says as he snuggles into his pillow.

“Get some sleep, Baby.” May soothes as she runs her hand over the kid’s cheek. She looks over to Tony as if she’s almost asking him when she says. “We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Tony nods his head. He’ll be here. As May’s soothing touch lulls the kid to sleep, Tony keeps looking at the bags of fluids that are dripping into the kid’s arm, imploring them to do their job. The kid has to get better. No, the kid needs to get better.


	7. Small Victories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is not progressing as quickly as Tony thinks he should. He's reminded to take comfort in small victories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry it took so long to update.

The lights are dimmed considerably when Tony walks into med bay with two coffees in hand. The kid’s senses must still be in overdrive. Tony can’t help but let out a curse. It’s day two of treating the encephalitis and the kid’s enhanced immune system still hasn’t kicked into gear.

“Morning, Tony.” Helen Cho greets.

“Good morning, doc.” Tony hands over one of the coffees. “Black and two sugars.”

Helen lets out a contented sigh as she takes a sip. “Now it is.”

“How is the kid doing?” Tony asks as he motions towards the bed in the far end of the med bay.

“He’s holding his own,” she says.

Her uninformative response is inadequate in Tony's opinion. It’s not what Tony was hoping to hear. Tired and exhausted from another sleepless night, his nerves are already frayed and Helen’s lackluster response only exasperates Tony’s frustrated demeanor.

“You have to give me more than that, Helen. The kid has been here for close to a week. You’ve been treating the encephalitis for more than a day now. Why isn’t he getting better. He’s enhanced…I don’t get it,” Tony says. He may be talking to Helen, but his attention is clearly elsewhere. His eyes are on Peter.

Helen steps in front of Tony, blocking his view of Peter and his aunt. “You’re right,” she hisses. “He is enhanced. And he can probably hear you right now.”

Almost to prove her point, Peter lets out a particularly loud whine. 

“Come on, let’s discuss this outside.” Helen moves towards the door. Tony follows. When they reach the elevator and hopefully far enough away that Peter’s sensitive hearing can’t pick up on their conversation, Helen turns around to face Tony. “You need to get yourself together.” 

“And you need to do what I pay you to do! Get the kid better!”

“He’s is!” Helen retorts.

Tony lets out a snort. “Really?! Because from where I’m standing, it doesn’t look that way.”

“He’s battling encephalitis,” Helen explains. “It’s a serious infection of the brain, Tony. It’s not something that he can just bounce back from. It’s going to take awhile for him to be 100% again.”

“But he’s enhanced,” Tony tries to reason.

Helen gives him a small smile. “He is. And that’s probably why he’s still alive. This is a particularly virulent strand of encephalitis. I’m afraid that if Peter wasn’t enhanced, then it could have been fatal. I know this isn’t easy, but you have to be patient. Give the meds time to do their job. Take comfort in the small victories.”

“Small victories?”

“His fever hasn’t gone down, but it also hasn’t gone up either. That’s a win. He also hasn’t had any more grand mal seizures. He’s not as restless and is sleeping more soundly. He’s getting the rest his body needs. Those are all positive signs.”

“He seems like he’s still in pain,” Tony says quietly.

“He probably is,” Helen admits. “Encephalitis can be extremely painful. That’s why he we have the lights down low. But we are also making progress in manufacturing a pain killer that will work with his metabolism. We’re very close and we’re hoping to have something by the end of the day.”

“That’s good.” Tony agrees.

“Small victories,” Helen says.

“Small victories,” Tony repeats. 

“Stark…”

Tony turns around when he hears May calling him. Shit. How much did she hear? It’s one thing to voice his concerns about his perceived lack of progress when it comes to Peter’s health. But it’s another ball game if the kid’s parental figure heard his frustrations. She doesn’t need to hear that. He looks at her like a dog who was just caught doing something wrong, Cautiously he says, “Hi, May.”

“Tony,” May returns as she walks towards him. Shit. She heard.

“I…uh…we…” Tony starts to ramble. Helen is no help and remains silent as he trips over his words. She’s actually smirking at his expense. Figures. Her payback after he came at her. That quip about him paying her to do her job, coming full circle now. He hands May the coffee as his words continue to fail him.

“Is Peter okay?” Helen asks, finally.

“He’s…resting.” May replies and turns to Tony. “He’s asking for you.”

Thank you, kid for the save. Tony nods as he points his thumb over his shoulder and back towards the med bay. “I’m gonna go.” He nearly trips over his feet as he rushes back towards Peter. He doesn’t need the kid’s enhanced hearing to hear the women’s laughter. That’s the last time he brings them coffee.

“Hey, kid.” Tony whispers as he takes the now empty seat by Peter’s bedside. The teenager is curled up on his side and facing Tony. Despite his whisper Peter still flinches away, pushing his head into his pillow to get away from the pain. “M’tr Stark.”

“Sorry, Underoos.” Tony apologizes. Because what else can he do? He’s helpless at the moment. There’s no threat to track down. No one to save. And as much as he hates to admit it, Helen is right. There’s nothing else they can do. It’s now up to Peter, or more accurately Peter’s body, to overcome this. All he can do is sit here and stand by as his kid whimpers and flinches in pain. 

“S’rry?” Peter asks as he squints open his eyes.

“Sorry, you’re hurting, kid. I wish there was something I can do.”

Peter nods and lets out a moan when the motion causes him pain.

“Headache, Pete?”

“Neck,” Peer grits out. “’urts.”

Tony holds up a hand but freezes it mid-air. Should he touch him? Will it help? Or is he going to hurt him? Yes, he’s touched Peter before. Gave him some kind of comfort with his unsure and hesitant touches, but that was when the kid was out of his mind in delirium. Peter’s more lucid now. More aware of what’s going on. Any hesitation Tony has is shattered when Peter lets out another moan. Tony gently places his hand on Peter’s forehead and begins to run it down to his neck. “Is this okay? Am I hurting you?”

Peter lets out a contented sigh and relaxes into the older man’s touch. “’eels nice.”

Tony continues his ministrations as Peter remains pliant under Tony’s careful, comforting hand. The kid is no longer whimpering and it’s nearly silent in the med bay, with only the sounds of Peter’s monitors and the medical personnel bustling around filling the area. Tony thinks the kid may have drifted off to sleep when the teenager says, “You’re wrong.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “What lies have Pepper and Rhodey been filling your head with, kid? Please tell me, what am I wrong about.”

“You are doing somethin’,” Peter answers. “You’re here.”

Tony can’t help but smile. Even though the kid is stuck in bed fighting off a raging infection, he’s using what little strength he has to reassure Tony. To make Tony feel better. That’s why he loves the kid. Yes, he said loves. Somehow through the disaster with the rogue Avengers, the mess with Toomes, and now, the kid has wormed his way into Tony’s heart. That’s no easy feat. 

“M’str Stark?”

“Yeah, kid.” Tony says softly as he continues running his hand down Peter’s still too warm cheek. 

“Am I going to be okay?” 

The sadness in the kid’s question serves as a knife to Tony’s gut. It takes a minute for the mechanic to catch his breath before he replies. “You heard us, huh?”

Peter forgets momentarily about his painful, stiff neck and lets out a whine when he nods his head.

“Easy, kid.” Tony soothes as he gently massages Peter's scalp.  
.  
“’kay?” Peter asks again, opening his eyes.

“Yeah, kid. You’re going to be okay.” Tony says as he looks into the teenager’s scared, fever bright eyes. “It’s just taking a little bit longer than I would like for your spidey-body to fight off the encephalitis, but you’re getting there. Trust me.”

Trust me? Where the hell did that come from? What the hell is he thinking telling Peter that? 

“Trust you,” Peter says just before he closes his eyes.

As Peter drifts off to sleep, Tony says a silent thank you. He’s grateful that Peter’s enhanced senses doesn’t include an ability to read other peoples’ feelings. For if that was the case, then he would clearly see that Tony’s still scared shitless.


	8. Reality Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is slowly recovering and Tony gets a reality check.

The exhaustion of several sleepless nights finally catches up with Tony. He’s slouched in the chair that’s beside Peter’s hospital bed, soft snores filling the med bay as medical personnel continues working. There’s a Stark Pad sitting in his lap, his fingers still on it. He must have been in the middle of something when he finally drifted off to sleep. His other hand is stretched out on Peter’s bed towards the boy, as if making sure that he’s no more than an arm length away from the teenager, just in case Peter needs him. Even in his unconscious state, Tony needs to be close to the kid.

Pepper can’t help but smile at the sight when she enters the medical wing. She really doesn’t want to wake the mechanic because he’s in desperate need of sleep. But she also knows that he’s going to be hurting once he wakes up. That position can’t be comfortable.  
Her dilemma on whether or not to wake him ends when Tony suddenly jerks himself awake. He looks around frantically as it takes a few seconds for him to gather where he is. He has to act fast to stop the Stark Pad from falling from his lap.

“Hey. Easy, Tony.” Pepper says, rubbing his shoulder. “You’re in the med bay.”

Tony rubs his eyes tiredly. “Med bay? Peter?”

“He’s okay,” Pepper replies. “He’s still sleeping.”

“He’s still sleeping. He’s okay,” Tony repeats to himself quietly as he looks over the teenager’s sleeping form as he tries to make himself believe what he is saying is true. The kid is okay.

“Hey, I see you’re awake.” Helen says as she walks up to them. “Well, I have some good news.”

“You do?” Tony asks.

“I do,” Helen replies with a smile. “We were able to synthesize a painkiller that’s compatible with his enhanced physiology.”

“You did?” Pepper asks. “That’s wonderful!”

Helen nods her head. “We did. We gave him a small dose about an hour ago. We’re still trying to figure out the dosage, but it appears to be working.”

“It is?” Tony asks hopefully.

Helen nods towards Peter. “Look for yourself.”

Tony looks to the sleeping teenager. He’s not curled up in the fetal position as he has been throughout his illness. He’s currently sleeping on his back with his limbs sprawled every which way. Tony can make out a small trail of drool coming from the left side of the teenager’s mouth. But what is most striking is what Tony doesn’t see. The kid’s face is not scrunched up in pain. He’s not making those awful, heart breaking whimpers. Peter isn’t in pain. He is finally resting comfortably.

“It’s working,” Tony says with a smile.

“It is,” Helen confirms with a smile of her own.

“Since Peter is now resting comfortably why don’t you try and get some real sleep,” Pepper suggests. “Your back must be killing you, sleeping in that chair. Why don’t you go lay down for a bit? In a bed maybe?”

“I can’t,” Tony insists. “May is resting in one of the guest rooms. I don’t want the kid to wake up alone.”

Pepper nods her head. “Okay, I understand. But I want you to go upstairs and get some sleep when May comes back down. Maybe even grab a shower. Because you’re starting to stink, babe.” She says wrinkling her nose for emphasis.

“I do not,” Tony starts but then he gets a whiff of himself. “Okay, I’ll grab a shower and some zzzz’s when May comes back down.”

Pepper’s not convinced. Tony gave in way too quick. She quirks her eyebrow. “You promise? Because you running yourself into the ground isn’t going to do Peter any good.”

Tony looks over to Peter before she looks back at Pepper. “I promise. I just can’t leave him alone right now.”

Pepper leans in and kisses him on the cheek. “Don’t work too hard.”

He’s already looking at something on his Stark Pad by the time Pepper reaches the door. She smiles at herself as she listens to Tony telling Peter about the newest upgrades to his Iron Man suit.

XXXXX

Tony follows through with his promise to Pepper. He stayed with Peter until May returned. After she returned to med bay, he left her. He took a shower and laid down. He even got a couple of hours of sleep (three). Granted it was after he went to the lab for an hour. He even got something to eat. True, it was cold pizza and coffee. But it’s still more than he had in the last day.

Five hours later, a fed, cleaner, and somewhat rested Tony returns to the medical wing. Just as he left, May is by Pete’s side. Tony is a little disappointed to see that the kid is still sleeping, but at least the teenager looks like he’s still resting peacefully. Thank goodness Helen was able to develop that pain killer for the kid.

“Hey, Tony.” May greets with a smile.

A smile? Why is she smiling? Tony takes another look at Peter for a clue to May’s good mood. His tired eyes don’t see anything that warrants the woman’s sunny demeanor.

“What is it? What has you so damn happy? Did you and Pepper have a glass of wine while I was upstairs?”

May rolls her eyes. “No, I did not have anything to drink. Even though I could go for a glass of pinot grigio.” May says as she runs a hand over her nephew’s cheek. “His fever broke.”

Tony lets out a huge sigh of relief as he takes in the good news. Peter is sleeping comfortably. His fever broke. These are all positive signs.

“I see you must have heard that Peter’s fever broke,” Helen says as she walks up to Peter’s bedside.

“So what’s next?” Tony asks. “How long until he’s back to patrolling Queens, webbing up common thieves and giving lost tourists directions?”

Helen gives him a heated look. “Can I speak with you out in the hall?”

Oh shit. What did he say?

“Is everything okay?” May asks concerned. “What’s going on?”

“Peter is doing just fine,” Helen reassures May. “He’s resting comfortably and that’s exactly what his body needs to get better.”

Satisfied with the doctor’s reassurances, May turns back to Peter. 

“We’ll be right back,” Helen says as she motions Tony to follow her out into the hall. Away from May. Away from Peter’s super hearing.

“What did I say wrong?” Tony asks once they’re out in the hallway. “All I asked was what’s next.”

“You asked about him webbing up people and running all over the city,” Helen replies.

Tony shrugs his shoulders. “So? What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that Peter is recovering from encephalitis. It’s inflammation of the brain. There’s a whole host of complications that can result from encephalitis. Memory loss. Epilepsy. Problems with speech. Behavioral changes. Just to name some.”

Memory loss? Epilepsy? With Peter’s enhanced physiology he never thought that Peter would suffer long term complications from the encephalitis. Tony thought that once Peter turned the corner then he would be fine. Be back to the overzealous, future Avenger that he was before he got sick.

“Are you saying that he may have brain damage?” Tony whispers. “But he’s enhanced. Shouldn’t he just bounce back like he always does when he’s injured?”

“I don’t know yet. But complications are a very real possibility. Encephalitis is serious and so are its complications,” Helen explains. “Peter may not exhibit any of the complications. We just don’t know yet. I just want you to be aware of the possibility.”

“When will we know?”

“Recovery from encephalitis is lengthy. It may be months before we can get a full picture of what we’re dealing with.”

“Months?!” Tony yells. Helen glares at him and motions back towards med bay and where May and Peter are. "Shit, sorry."

How can it take months to get a firm grasp of what’s going on? They have the best medical technology available in the world. The best medical minds. How can it take months?

Helen frowns. “Yes, months. But I’m hoping that since Peter is enhanced, we will know much sooner about any potential complications. Tony, I’m working blind here. Peter’s healing factor is nothing like I’ve seen before. You got to bear with me.”

Tony nods. “Okay. Anything you need to get Peter better, it’s yours. I don’t care the cost. What we have to do. What do we do now?”

“You’re probably not going to like it. But there’s not much we can do right now. The best thing you can do is be there for Peter. Be patient with him. As frustrated as you may be with the situation, imagine how he’s feeling. He went from being able to stop buses with his bare hands to struggling to stay awake for more than ten minutes,” Helen explains sadly. “He’s going to have a rough road ahead of him. Can you be there for him?”

Normally, Tony would balk at such a request. He’s a doer. He doesn’t do well with sitting by doing nothing. Hell, he made himself a suit of armor to break out of captivity instead of waiting for the cavalry to come rescue him. But Peter doesn’t need a fancy suit. Or the latest tech. He needs Tony to be there for him. Patience is not his strong suit, so it’s going to take all his will power to take on this more emotional role. But if that’s what Peter needs, then Tony will do it. He can’t…no he won’t fail the kid now. 

“I got this, doc.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took so long to update this!


End file.
